Impact
by badpollyanna
Summary: A routine investigation goes badly wrong for McGee, Tony and Kate.
1. Default Chapter

Impact

McGee was sick of listening to Kate and Tony argue. Granted, while they were arguing with each other they were leaving him alone, but today they had quarreled about everything.

The three of them had been sent to question a witness, which just didn't seem like a three person job to him. McGee suspected Gibbs just wanted the office to himself sometimes, or perhaps it was just that he felt McGee needed a lot more experience in field work and could learn a lot while watching the two more experienced agents. If that were the case, McGee certainly agreed with him. He was fine with the technical side of the job, but when he was dealing with people his lack of experience was apparent.

They arrived at the apartment, and yet another argument was sparked, hot on the heels of the last one. Tony had driven, and had been speeding the whole way. Kate kept telling him to slow down, which led Tony to retaliate by driving faster. Now they'd reached their destination Tony decided to park in a reserved parking spot.

"Tony, this parking space is reserved for apartment 7."

"So?"

"So we're going to apartment 5."

"That space is full."

"Then we should park in guest parking over there."

"Too far away."

"Tony…"

Tony got out of the car and started walking towards the building. McGee followed. Kate fumed for a few seconds more and came after them, slamming her door hard.

As they walked inside, McGee consulted his notes.

"The witness is Mrs. Sylvia Andrews. She caught a glimpse of the killer and gave a description to the police, but it wasn't very detailed." He looked up. Nobody was listening.

"I'm not going to be the one that explains to Gibbs why our car was towed!"

"It won't be towed."

By the time they had reached the second stairwell, they were both at a standstill, Kate glaring with hands on hips and Tony with arms crossed defensively.

"Move the car, Tony!"

"The car stays where it is."

"Give me the keys!"

"No!"

"Um, guys," McGee finally interrupted. Great, now they were glaring at him. "Mrs. Andrews? Remember?"

"Thank you McGee, we do know."

"Go on ahead Probie, we'll be there in a minute."

That was it. He was sick of them treating him like an idiot child. Now they were telling him to go and wait upstairs until they were ready? He didn't say another word, but climbed the last few steps angrily, plotting his revenge. There were some advantages to being a computer geek. He'd start by arranging to have them both audited…

When he got to the third floor, all thoughts of revenge vanished. The door to number 5 was ajar. He walked towards it and saw that the lock had been splintered. Recently. He could see the debris on the floor. He took a step back. He knew from his training that in a situation like this he needed to call for backup. He should fetch the others.

He was about to turn for the stairwell when he heard a sound from inside, and from that moment the world went into slow motion. It must have happened in only a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime.

He heard running footsteps, and then a bloody hand pulled the door open from the inside. The beaten and bloody face in the apartment registered only a moment of surprise at seeing McGee before an explosion from behind blew a hole in her head, the blood showering his face. He was unable to even register his horror before she fell and he found himself staring into the eyes of her killer. There wasn't even time to raise his weapon. The killer stood in the light of the window, weapon still raised, and, without hesitation, fired.

McGee felt impact and pain and fell backwards from the blast. He lay stunned, there in the hallway, next to the other body. The sharpness of the pain seemed to bring sharper clarity and he was aware of everything. He could hear the sounds of footsteps on the fire escape - the killer - and also on the stairs behind him - Tony and Kate, running . The floor was wet and some part of his mind told him he was lying in Mrs. Andrews pooling blood. His own as well, he supposed, but now those sharp sensations were receding and he started to feel foggy and disoriented. He was aware of Kate and Tony talking to him, fearful expressions on their faces. Was it that bad? He spoke to them, but after he'd spoken he couldn't remember what he'd said. Now he couldn't breathe, it hurt too much. Tony was speaking now, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. They were kneeling over him, working together. They worked well together, despite all the bickering. A good team, like him and Abby. Kate was saying something, but her voice was far away and he couldn't concentrate. He was cold and so very, very tired. He closed his eyes.

"We're losing him!" cried Kate.


	2. 2

They'd been arguing on the stairs when they'd heard the first shot. They froze, and for them too time seemed to stop for the instant between the two shots. On the second shot their paralysis broke and they ran, weapons drawn. They burst through the door to the third floor to see McGee, lying in the hallway covered in blood. Another body lay at his feet.

They flew forward and Kate fell to her knees by his body. One glance had shown her their witness was past all help. Tony was at her shoulder. "I've got this, go!" She motioned to the apartment. He needed no further bidding. Gun raised, Tony ran inside.

"Tim?" She looked down to his chest and saw the hole the bullet had made. It was bleeding freely, and her breathe caught in her throat. She quickly removed her jacket, bundled it, and pressed it firmly to his chest. She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed, keeping the pressure on his chest. She gave the details quickly and threw down her phone. Leaning over him she saw the fear in his eyes. He started to speak, couldn't, moistened his lips and gasped, "fire escape". She understood. "Tony's checking now, it's okay." He nodded.

She saw the blood on his face on his face and realized where it was from. Taking a tissue from her pocket she wiped it off .

"Thanks." His voice was thin and rasping, and he was fighting for breath.

"Don't talk, okay?" She tried to smile as she spoke, she didn't want to frighten him any more. Her jacket was soaked in his blood, but she continued to press it against the wound. He was losing too much blood. With her other hand she stroked his face, wanting him to feel her touch.

Although there wasn't much of a difference in their ages - there were only a few years between her, Abby and McGee - she had always felt much older than the other two. In many ways, though she would have hated to admit it to anyone, she felt she had much more in common with Tony. Now, as she stared down at Tim, she thought he had never seemed younger and she had never felt so much older.

Tony joined them then, holstering his gun. He shook his head in response to her unasked question. "He's gone, there's no sign."

"McGee said 'fire escape'."

"He must have got out that way. How's he doing?" He glanced at prone form of their witness, and looked quickly away.

Kate didn't answer, she just looked at him, all their enmity forgotten in that single act. The knowledge between them both that in a crisis they only needed and wanted each other.

Tony sank down to the floor beside them. McGee was white as a sheet and his breathing was becoming increasingly labored. Keep it light, he thought, don't scare him any more than he already is.

"Hey Probie, how ya doin'?"

"Can't breathe…"

"Take shallow breaths, okay?"

Tony looked at Kate.

"How long till the paramedics get here?"

"They said they were close."

He looked at the blood soaked jacket and the blood pooling at their knees…there wasn't much time. Tremors started to shake Tim's body.

"Tim? You okay?" Even as he spoke he thought he'd never asked a more ridiculous question.

"C-c-cold…"

"You're going into shock, and you've lost a lot of blood, but you're going to be okay…McGee?"

McGee's eyes started to close.

"Tim, stay with us."

His eyes were unfocused and glassy. His lips moved again, but now the sound was so faint Kate had to lean closer to hear him. His eyes closed and he finally lost consciousness.

"We're losing him!" cried Kate.


	3. 3

Thanks to all for the reviews! This is my first posting, so it means a lot that you were so nice. Sorry it's taken me so long to update. To answer some questions -

**WBH21C** - Thanks! You're my first ever review!

**Salem Navy **-This will be a McGee focused story, but there will be some 'Tate' (beginning this chapter!).

**Rinne** - I had the wrong rating initially, which is why it started in 'T' and moved to 'M'. Sorry for the mix up! As for the rest, thanks for the tip, much appreciated!

**Raysgal - **Would I kill McGee? Well, possibly, but not in this story, and I'd always bring him back!

**Disclaimer** - I'd love to own these characters (I'd walk them and feed them, I promise!), but unfortunately they don't belong to me…I don't think there are any spoilers, but if I miss something, please let me know!

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The emergency services arrived just as McGee lost consciousness. Tony and Kate followed behind the ambulance as it sped to the hospital.

"What did he say?"

"What?"

"He said something before …what did he say?"

"Abby."

"Damn!" Tony hit the steering wheel in frustration. "We have to tell Gibbs."

"I know." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Gibbs? It's Kate…there's been an accident…"

Gibbs was examining evidence with Ducky and Abby when the call came. He heard a tremor in her voice, and was instantly on the alert. At the word 'accident' he interrupted.

"What happened?"

Ducky and Abby looked up at his tone.

"McGee's been shot."

He turned away from the others. "How bad is it?"

Her voice caught. "I think it's bad."

Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment. This part of the job never got easier. He turned to see the other two watching him intently.

"Where are they taking him?"

Kate told him. He forced himself to think of the case. "What about the witness?" He rubbed his eyes as he listened. How could it have gone so wrong? "I'll meet you at the hospital."

He finished the call and turned to the others. He did not want to have this conversation.

"Ducky, I need you to go to a crime scene." The file was nearby and he pulled out the information on their witness. "This is the address."

"Jethro, what's happened?"

"McGee's been shot."

He wasn't a person to gloss over things, but he wished he had put it differently, worked up to it somehow but there just wasn't time. He saw the blood drain from Abby's face.

Ducky saw it too. "I'll go now. Keep me informed, won't you?" At a nod from Gibbs, he left the lab.

"Is he…will he be okay?"

He hated to be the one to hurt her, she was like his daughter. He knew she and McGee were close, but he hadn't enquired to closely. There were rules against fraternization, but he'd chosen to ignore it. Now, seeing her distress, he only cared that she would be hurt. He moved towards her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know, Abbs. Lets go and see."

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Tony and Kate were only a few minutes behind the ambulance, but McGee was already headed to surgery when they arrived. They sat in the waiting area, side by side, not speaking. Tony looked down and saw Kate's hands in her lap, blood-soaked and shaking. He reached over and covered them with his own. She looked at him gratefully.

"He'll be okay. He's tougher than you think.'

"It's our fault. He shouldn't have been there on his own, we should have been with him. What the hell were we thinking?"

"We weren't thinking." Tony looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "We were messing with each others heads and it finally went too far. This time, someone got hurt."

He looked at her then, her eyes red and her face wet with tears. He reached up and gently wiped a smudge of mascara from her cheek. "We shouldn't fight." He squeezed her hand and their eyes met. It wasn't the time for games.

"I didn't want you to think I was like every other woman you know, that you could charm and sweet-talk."

He saw her stripped of all her defenses, vulnerable. But he didn't want her this way. He wanted her as an equal, as she had always been. Just not fighting him all the way. He wanted to protect her and reassure her, tell her it would be alright. It occurred to Tony that in other circumstances he might have kissed her then. But not now. Not here, with Tim's blood between them. She was right. It was their fault he was here.

They heard footsteps and saw Gibbs and Abby approaching. They broke apart like nervous schoolchildren as they stood up. Facing Gibbs was bad enough, but Abby? How could they possibly explain to Abby? Tony reached again for Kate's hand as they rose. They saw the tear tracks on Abby's face and Kate gripped his hand tighter.


	4. 4

Gibbs spoke first. "What happened?"

Tony flashed a glance at Abby, then back to Gibbs.

"Kate and I were arguing on the stairs. We told Prob…McGee," he corrected quickly, "to go on ahead and wait for us."

"You sent him up alone?" Tony had never seen Abby so angry.

Kate tried to help. "We didn't think…we didn't expect…We didn't mean for this to happen."

Gibbs interrupted grimly. "Go on."

"We heard two shots, seconds apart. By the time we got there," bad choice of words, he thought, watching Gibbs expression grow harder, "McGee was lying in the hall, Mrs. Andrews was at his feet. She was obviously dead. I checked the apartment, it was empty. McGee said something to Kate about the fire escape, he must have got out that way."

"He was talking? He's okay?" Abby looked hopeful.

"He said a few words." Kate took over. "He was having trouble breathing, though. He said…" She trailed off. Should she tell her? Would it do anything but make her feel worse?

"He said what?" Abby demanded.

Kate had already said too much to stop there. "Just before he…lost consciousness," her voice faltered, "he said your name."

Abby bit her lip and turned away from the others. They knew to leave her alone. She moved to a chair and sat down. "Go on." Her voice was hard.

They moved to sit beside her.

"We left a couple of cops watching the crime scene and came on to the hospital. They were taking him to surgery when we arrived."

"How badly was he hurt?"

Gibbs asked the question, but Tony looked at Abby as he answered.

"He was shot in the chest. Pretty close range. He lost a lot of blood."

"What have they told you so far?"

This time Kate answered. "Nothing. They told us to wait here until they had something to tell us."

Gibbs stood up and walked over to the nurses station. They watched him speak to a nurse and looked at him questioningly as he returned.

"Nothing yet." He looked at his team. It was time for action. "Dinozzo, Kate, go back to the crime scene," he spoke louder as they started to protest, "go back to the crime scene. Get every scrap of evidence you can find. We need to catch this scumbag now." Then, in a gentler tone, "We'll call you if there's any news."

With a final regretful look at Abby, they left.

He waited until they were out of sight, then got on his knees beside Abby. He reached out and grasped her hands in his own. They were ice cold.

"Abby…"

"No, Gibbs!"

"Abby…we need you."

"Tim needs me."

Gibbs took a breath. This wasn't going to be easy. "Yes, he does. He needs you in the lab to track this dirtbag down."

"No! He needs me here.' She pulled her hands away and banged her palms against the vinyl of the chair. "Here," she repeated firmly. "He should have someone here waiting for him."

Once again, Gibbs was faced with telling her something she wouldn't want to hear.

"You're right, he should heave someone waiting for him. And that someone should be a friend. Abby…this guy shot our witness. He found out where she lived and went to her home to kill her. Then McGee came along and witnessed the whole thing, and he shot him too. He probably waited around and listened for an ambulance. He must know McGee is still alive." He saw her eyes widen in realisation and saw the horror on her face, but he had to continue. She had to understand the urgency. "He will come back for him. We need to find him first. We need to be ready for him."

For the second time that day tears appeared in her eyes, but this time she brushed them away impatiently.

"Alright." She stood up purposefully. "What about Ti.." Not Tim. She had to be professional now. "What about McGee?"

"They'll call us as soon as they know anything, and I'll have officers here protecting him." He offered her a smile. "Lets make sure they don't have to."


	5. 5

Ducky had already left the crime scene when Tony and Kate arrived. The blood still remained in a drying pool on the floor, but thankfully Mrs. Andrews body had been removed.

They walked past the blood in the hall and tried not to think of their teammate lying there so recently. They started to process the crime scene, dusting for prints, taking photographs and bagging evidence. Despite the state of the apartment, they found very little- some prints, which could have been from the victim, and a shoe print on the door where it had been kicked in.

There was an awkwardness between them as they worked, a constraint that hadn't been there before. That glimpse of feeling they had revealed to each other at the hospital was now between them, and they felt as shy as teenagers around each other.

They worked quietly for almost half an hour when Kate broke the silence.

"I think that's everything. We should probably head back."

"Yeah, let's go."

Their eyes met and they smiled. They held the gaze for a moment, and then, remembering where they were, broke away.

Tony sighed in frustration. "Kate…"

She looked back at him. He cleared his throat. He hadn't been this nervous since high school.

"Look, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"

"No, Tony."

"Kate, come on, why not?"

She was suddenly angry. "In case you've forgotten, Tim is in surgery right now. Because of us. And you have the nerve to ask me on a date when we're standing in the place he was shot? While I still have spots of his blood on my clothes? You are unbelievable!"

She turned and walked out of the apartment. He caught up with her and followed her out of the building, saying nothing. There was nothing left to say.

Gibbs, meanwhile, was having problems of his own. He was trying to contact McGee's next of kin, but the only number he had gave him an answering machine. You didn't leave a message like that on a machine. The address he had was out of state, so he'd contacted the local police force and had them go to the house. Now he had to wait, and he hated waiting. When the phone finally rang he picked it up on the first ring.

"Gibbs."

"Special Agent Gibbs, this is Officer Gregson. We just got back from the house."

"And?" He wasn't feeling very patient right now.

"It looks like the owners are on vacation. I saw the mailman, and he said their mail's being held. They may have someone looking after the place, so we'll keep an eye on it for ya."

Gibbs rubbed his eyes. It just kept getting better and better. "Let me know the minute you know something."

"Sure thing."

There was one other thing to do.

He walked down to the lab. Abby was staring at the computer screen with red watery eyes.

"Abby?"

She started, and hastily wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Gibbs."

"Abby, I'm having trouble contacting McGee's family. Do you know anything about them?"

For a brief moment, an odd look passed over Abby's face. She walked over to collect a paper from the printer as she answered him.

"No. He's mentioned a sister before, but I don't know anything about her." She looked down at the paper she was holding. "No luck with the bullet from Mrs. Andrews."

She handed him the paper and he scanned it quickly. When he looked up again she was watching him.

"Any news?" She knew there wasn't because he would have told her, but she had to ask.

"No." They both knew that wasn't a good sign.

Tony and Kate came in at that moment. Gibbs pulled out his cell phone when he saw them.

"Ducky, we need you in the lab." He flipped the phone off before he got an answer.

For a few moments there was silence between them all.

And I thought working with Kate was awkward, Tony thought. "Hey," he said, to break the ice. Three pairs of eyes looked at him coldly. Great, he thought, good opening. Today I got McGee shot, propositioned Kate, broke Abby's heart and ticked off Gibbs, and what do I come up with? 'Hey'. Sometimes he thought Kate was right. He was an idiot.

He tried again, in a more somber tone. "Any news from the hospital?" Ducky appeared as he finished his question, and they all looked at Gibbs for an answer.

"Nothing yet." He looked hard at them all. "This guy is still out there, and he probably knows McGee is still alive. We need to catch him before he tries to finish the job." He wasn't going to even consider that the shooters return may not be necessary, that McGee may not need 'finishing off'. McGee was one of his people, and he wasn't going to lose him. "Give me what you've got. Tony?"

"It's not good, Gibbs. The crime scene was pretty clean. We got a couple of partial prints, and there was a shoe print on the door. That's all."

Kate interrupted. "We don't think McGee entered the apartment. The door had been kicked in and the lock was splintered. There were pieces all over the floor. Also, the door wouldn't close all the way without the lock, so it must have been ajar. McGee must have suspected something. From what we can figure, Mrs. Andrews must have got free and made a run for the door - there's a bloody handprint on the inside - and opened the door just as McGee got there. She was shot first, then McGee almost immediately after. The killer must have heard us coming and left by the fire escape."

Gibbs turned to Ducky.

"I'm afraid he was rather rough with her, Jethro. She was beaten quite badly."

"Probably wanted to know what she'd already told the police," interrupted Tony.

Ducky nodded. "Quite possibly."

Abby spoke up next. "I couldn't get anything from the bullet. Maybe I'll be luckier with the prints."

She took the evidence from Tony. "Now," she said, suddenly looking and sounding more like herself, "everybody needs to get out of my lab so I can get on with this."

She reached over and switched on her music. She had work to do.


End file.
